How To Do Wall Pilates

If you’ve so much as mentioned “Pilates” near your computer or phone, I’m sure you’re seeing ads for “Wall Pilates”. As an instructor, I’ve probably been asked at least once a week if I’ve seen the ads. I’ve only sort of clicked through the ads, so I can’t comment on their version of how to do wall Pilates. But I can say that yes, a wall is definitely a useful tool when it comes to Pilates. 

Using a wall in your Pilates practice can offer support and variations that you may not be able to get at home doing mat Pilates alone. The ads that I see on social media keep showing a person doing band-resisted glute bridges with their feet up on a wall. In mat class, we do glute bridges to help build up strength to do the bridge, high scissors, and bicycle. In this instance, using the wall adds a bit of variety; however, just like the apparatuses in the studio can offer progressions and regressions of certain Pilates exercises, you can use a wall in a similar fashion.

My 3 Top Wall Pilates Exercises

If you’re wondering about how to do wall Pilates, here are some of my favourite Pilates exercises that use a wall.

The Hundred

The Set Up: Move your mat up to the wall. Lay on your mat with your feet towards the wall, then adjust yourself so that your feet are propped up on the wall 15 to 30 cm above the floor and your legs are straight. Externally rotate your legs from the hips down to your heels so that your heels are together and your toes are slightly apart in your Pilates V.  

The Movement: Curl your upper spine so that you can look at your toes, and begin to pump your arms from the shoulder joint, breathing in for 5 arm pumps and out for 5, with the goal of working up to 10 rounds.

The Benefits: 

• Holding your legs up for the whole exercise can be difficult, especially if you’re new to Pilates. The wall gives you support as you build up your strength.
• In the hundred (and many other Pilates exercises,) you’re looking to actively use your legs as well as your abs and arms. Here, you should be reaching your legs long, keeping them connected. The wall gives you something to push into, helping you stay aware of reaching with your legs. 

The Standing Hundred

The Set Up: Stand with your back against the wall. Now walk just your feet forward a few cm, and externally rotate your legs from the hips so that your feet are in the Pilates V.  

The Movement: Round your head, neck, and upper spine away from the wall, keeping the tips of your shoulder blades down to your waist against it. Now begin your arm pumps and breath cycles of 5 in, 5 out, for 10 sets.

The Benefits:

• Laying on their back can be very difficult for some people. Whether it’s pain, mobility issues, or even pregnancy, this wall version of the hundred makes the movement much more accessible. 
• It is a different way to “feel” the exercise, and it can be used as a teaching tool to better your form for when you go back down to the mat. I often see clients lift their upper body instead of curling up in this exercise; when they do it on the wall, this doesn’t happen.
• Again, you can imagine pushing the floor away from you in this exercise to help activate your legs. 

The Standing Roll Down 

The Set Up. Stand with your back against the wall. Now walk just your feet forward a few cm, and externally rotate your legs from the hips so that your feet are in the Pilates V.  

The Movement: Peel your head, neck, and spine away from the wall, rounding down one vertebra (ish) at a time. You want to try to keep your backside against the wall as you roll down and back up again. With this exercise, you can adjust the distance of your feet from the wall to see how it feels (but keep your bum against the wall). The goal is to eventually have your feet fully against the wall while controlling your roll down and up.  

The Benefits:

• The roll down is often used as a warm-up for the mat, but it’s also an exercise done on the apparatuses. The same movement pattern is also used in many other exercises. In this exercise and all the related ones, using your glutes will give you a stronger, smoother, more full-bodied execution. The wall version will help you feel how you need to activate your glutes so you don’t fall over! 
• The wall version will also help you feel the spots in your spine that are tighter or less mobile.

Learning how to do wall Pilates is an excellent way to build strength, add variety to your practice, and connect to your body in a new way. Start with these exercises, and as you become familiar with them, we can add more.